Adrien whistled as Carys finished her scouting report. Captain Garrald had protested having his “good maps” drug out of his tents and spread along the ground, but his blustering had been largely ignored.

“So what you’re telling me,” Adrien said, noting that the Captains face turned the most interesting shade of purple at his blatant exclusion from the discussion, “is that the Seanchan force we were sent here to counter; has split itself in half to go around a lake?” Carys nodded and pointed at the map with the point of one of her daggers.

“They were marching Eastward, as reported by intelligence, but when they hit this lake, they split and marched one half this way,” Carys indicated the direction with her blade, and Garrald flinched, as if expecting her to be so clumsy as to actually slice his map, “and the other half went this way.”

“Then,” Adrien responded, coming to his feet. “what we have to do is decided. Carys, you take half of the heavy infantry from me, and I’ll take half of your scouts. According to this map, this side of the lake is the most open, so whichever of us takes it, will take Captain Garrald’s archers along, since on the other side, where all these shade trees are, their effectiveness would be greatly decreased.”

“Let’s do it.” Was the only response Carys had.

*~*~*~*~*

Adrien was not surprised in the least when Carys opted to go to the shade tree side of the lake. The ambush that would take place there was much more to her style than the melee which would undoubtedly await him on the grassland side.

“Just who,” Jevin Garrald was demanding. “do you think you are to do this with my troops?” Adrien struggled to refrain from punching the man in the face.

“I have told you, I was sent here, to accomplish certain things, with your help. And you are helping. If you dislike it, then Carys and I can go to some other unit and do our work there. But I assure you, doing this my way will keep you and these troops alive to go home to their families. Yours would just get every man here killed.” There was some muttering amongst the men nearest the two, and none looked like their stomachs were setting too easily. “Tell me,” the Private asked, “have you trained to fight the Seanchan? Have you fought a grolm or a crolm? Have you seen a to’raken? Do you know what to do with a Damane or a Sul’dam?” The Captains silence was all the answer Adrien, or the Golden Bees he was now in command of, needed. They would follow. The Asha’man’s tactics it seemed, worked.

*~*~*~*~*

For all that the southern side of this lake was largely grassland, there was a cart path that followed the curve of the shore, and the Seanchan marched along that, men five wide, shoulder to shoulder. Adrien could have laughed for the absurdity of it, and wept at the tragedy. This he decided as he viewed his approaching foe, was going to be nasty, messy, and wholly unpleasant. It was however, he also knew, necessary.

“This is how we are going to do it.” Adrien said, after returning the quarter mile to where his troops were gathered. “We’ll put the skirmishers across the road here;” he indicated a place on the map. It was near the eastern end of the lake, where a steep hill caused the road to dip toward the water as it turned. “the Archers will be atop this hill” another mark of indication, “and will fire on a predetermined signal.” The troops were nodding along as Adrien spoke. “And the infantry, where I will be, will hide behind this hill here, and once the Archers open fire, will sweep around the side here and hit the column in the rear.”

“Tell me,” Adrien asked the Sergeant leading the skirmishers “how far can your men cast those spears of theirs?” The man didn’t need to pause to consider, he simply responded that their accuracy was guaranteed out to ten paces, and that they could be cast as far as fifty, but that there were no guarantees at that distance.

“Alright,” Adrien responded, take your men to their places, but know that when the Seanchan see you, they will likely charge, so wait until their forward element is within twenty paces, then have every man cast his spears, all of them, into that column. Understood?” The skirmishers saluted and replied “Yes Sir!” In unison before retreating to their assigned location, Adrien turned his attention to Captain Garrald and his archers.

“Once you see the third volley of casting spears reach their apex, fire your first volley, from as many men as you can in unison, and if the Seanchan turn their attack to you, continue to fire volleys at will, and send up a flaming arrow as a signal for my infantry, but if they join melee with the skirmishers, Advance to five paces, and begin to fire at individual targets as the targets present themselves, but still fire the signal arrow. Understood?” The Captain growled a response and saluted stiffly, then marched his archers up the hill to their appointed spot. Adrien turned to the infantry Sergeant at his shoulder as they watched the departing Captain.

“How do you deal with him?” He asked wearily. The Sergeant smiled.

“The same way you’ve been, by giving him the short of it and leaving him to accept it.” Adrien laughed and clapped the Sergeant on the shoulder.

“Good man.” He responded. “Let’s get ready for our enemy shall we?” With that, the two allowed their joviality to slide away and settled into the necessary business-like manner that they would need to carry them through what was to come. As they gathered with the rest of the heavy infantry, they could hear the marching of booted feet on hard packed earth, and the cadences that kept trained soldiers in step. Adrien prayed that he had made, if not the right and best decisions, then at least, good enough decisions so that he would have a force with which to execute part two of the plan.

Adrien-Baptiste Chandonne usually saw the sun rise over the walls of his own Black Tower. Today, the sun rose over the horizon and fell upon the youths face unimpeded, driving the daggers of its... more

The plan worked perfectly… almost. The skirmishers rained their throwing spears down onto the charging Seanchan infantry inflicting moderate damages, for those who survived the first cast were soon... more